Falling of a mask, part two:Wounds of the Present
by candelight
Summary: Last time I seperate chapters into two stories. So sorry! I decided to make up a Robin/Batman origin. Slade is horrified by his discovery....then decides he has one option left....decided to leave as cliff.
1. Chapter 1

It couldn't be.

IT COULDN'T BE!

No......

Slade threw himself back with a wild cry.

Robin.........

THe elusive little redbird...his failed apprentice.........

He _was _alive.

After all this time....

Slade felt something splash onto his gloved hand, then on the unconcious boy's face. HE rose a shaking palm to his eyes.

He hadn't wept for years.

Not ever since...............

***************************************************

Slade had been a young father.

Had.

In a blazing inferno, the fire had destroyed their home. Slade's wife Emily.....died pushing Slade out to safety...before a burning beam fell upon her back....

But the baby...didn't he...the poor little.....

Slade had just stared blankly at his hands as sirens continued to wail. He had been pulled out by two firemen, now awaited news about his family as the ash fell like snowfall....

No......

NO!

He jumped up with a bolt, and dragged the officer closest to him with an insane look in his eyes.

"FIND MY SON!" He had deftly screamed.

"FIND MY SON AND SAVE HIM!!!!"  
***************************************

Robin had been pronounced dead.

But the little one year old stumbling from the ashes had been found by a cloaked figure on the rooftops.

The figure noticed the stumbling baby, and with wide eyes, elegantly dropped to the ground where the smoking remains were.

Robin's nightshirt had turned deftly gray by this point, and was coughing quite a bit.

How on earth....

How in the world did he survive?

Batman dropped to one knee, staring intently at Robin. Robin had been crying the past few hours, and now turned to stare at the odd, dark figure, with big, frightened eyes.

"It's okay, little guy. I.....I don't aim to hurt you. I promise."

Robin blinked, then toddled over, nearly tripped, and then fell onto Batman's outstreched arm.

Batman wasn't used to babies. He handled Robin uncertainly for a moment, afraid of hurting the little boy, but Robin had ceased crying, and now was poking at Batman's mask with bright interset. Batman laughed softly.

"Okay.....I admit it, already-you're cute. Can you talk?"  
Robin had blinked.

"Oooookaayyyy....I'll take that as a definite no. Where is your mother? Where is your father?"

Robin didn't answer. He was already too busy playing with the pointy batears on the dark knight's mask. Batman sighed. He did not expect an answer anyway.

"Well...come along," said Batman gruffly, turning to the dark shadows again with the bundle in his arms. "Let's see if we can't find your parents. "If.......if not........."

***************************

Slade had been driven insane with grief over the loss. And now....

Now......

Slade seized Robin's broken figure and hoisted him upon his shoulder. *&^%, he was lighter then he was as a baby!

So saying, Slade turned and leapt away into the chorus of shadows like Bruce had done with Robin.....

Only to leave bitter tears behind in his wake.

Robin desperately needed medical attention.

And an explanation.

Now that he knew his son was indeed alive....

Slade seized the unconcious Robin, then turned to dash out, as Batman hhad done years ago, into the shadows, Robin's head bobbing with each movement.


	2. Chapter 2

Drip.

Drip.

Drip.

Somewhere, a faucet was leaking-normally not a very loud sound at all, but Robin found that, in this silence, the noise was deafining. Robin turned his head from the pillow, trying to hide a cry of pain as his muscles screamed in protest.

Pain.

Terrible, horrible pain had woken Robin from where he lay, alone in a dark room. The Boy Wonder instinctively put on his mask that lay beside him on the sheets; he did not feel right without it.

It felt as though his arm was screaming in agony; there were fresh burns and dark, purple bruises everywhere on the fifteen year old's pale flesh. He winced in discomfort. One of the Titans must have brought him to the medical facility after his duel with.....with.....

Even with Robin's pain blurred thoughts, he immediately jumped and started.

_Slade! _What had happened? Robin could hardly remember a thing. He frowned and squinted in frustration as he attempted to remember....

There had been smoke. And fire. And Slade's cold, cold, dark eyes had been fixed upon the young hero's face with a gloating air of triumph....as if the executioner was getting his last laugh before proceeding to the hanging of a small bird....

$#$$#$^(&^%%$#?????? **^%^%$&%$$#.........

(No, this isn't swearing.)

Everything happened in a blur.....Robin flying across the room, back slamming against an already burning door, a cry of shock....

Robin winced. His back was stinging, as if by just recalling that incident he felt intensified discomfort.

Slade approaching......the sensation of falling through a Long, dark tunnel.....

Before Robin completely blacked out, however, something was staring at him with horrified, horrified, eyes...........

Someone hoisting him up.....and the sensation of cool air racing past.......

*******************************************

Robin tried to stand.

Bad idea. The world began to sway in an absolute blur, faster and faster.......

Robin groaned, and, after struggling to stay teetering, finally fell backwards onto something...._hard...._

Robin slowly turned.

Slade.

********************************************

With a cry of alarm, Robin leapt back, brandishing his Bo staff.

Erghhh.....

The cold metal felt so heavy in his hands.....

Slade stepped forwards, mask still cracked. There was an almost...worn look to the villain now. Robin blinked, losing concentration for a moment.

He'd seen that look on villains who were about to lose it all and give up.....

So how could that look be on _Slade?_

Slade stepped forward, dark eye never leaving Robin's.

"Lie down," was all he said, quietly. "You need your rest."

Robin scowled. No way was he about to let himself be treated like some weak little toy!

"Where am I? What have you done to me?" He tried to demand....but ended up sounding more then kind of weak.

The bo staff clattered to the floor with a loud thunk. Robin staggered back as Slade continued to step forwards.

"G-get.......get away....."

Slade stopped.

And then disappeared.

Robin yelped and immediately took another step back, blurry vision immediately scanning the area.

Where....where was......

Slade had moved so abruptly that he was now behind Robin. Hands that bore gauntlets seized the undamaged parts of Robin's arm and forced him down to the floor.

Robin let out an exclaimation and began struggling desperately under Slade's calm, steady, iron grip. Slade merely continued to gaze at him.

DNA after DNA test had confirmed that.....

That.....

Robin was indeed Robin Basil Fortunato.

Reader, do you know what Fortunato means in Italian? I'm pretty sure you already do.

It's sadly ironic-The fortunate one.

Fortunate, indeed.

Slade turned his thoughts back to Robin, who was still struggling on the floor.

"You......just-mrmth-let-me-GO!"  
"ROBIN, LISTEN TO ME!"

So wild,commanding, and frantic was Slade's cry that Robin stopped fighting with a surprised look to his eyes.

Excellent. Slade would be heard. He narrowed his eyes as he stared at his little bird.

"Robin, you need to rest and to _recover. _There is no time for this nonsense. Your friends have extinguished the blaze."

Robin stared suspiciously at Slade.

"Why should I believe _you?"_

"Why indeed?" Slade asked himself softly. Robin resumed his struggle for freedom.

"Mrmmth-You can't just-keep me here-"

_"**I can, and I will." **_

Slade's voice had turned extremely icy. He turned to coldy stare at Robin, face to face.

"I will keep you here for as long as neccesary, Robin. I need to...verify some things."

_"What _things?! I-"

Even as an experienced hero, Robin quailed under the cold glare. Slade threatingly held up something. Robin squinted.

An injector.

"If you refuse to allow yourself to heal, I will sedate you."

Robin blanched. Slade's eye softened somewhat.

"It's alright," he said, unusually gentle, though keeping his distance this time.

"I won't hurt you."

Even on this verge of falling unconcious, Robin frowned...though, for the first time, he looked a little doubtful. Slade didn't hesitate to press his advantage this time as he scooped the broken bird up into his arms and onto the table.

Heh. Robin certainly was a resilient one-still determinedly fighting to get away.

With a flick of his wrist, Slade injected Robin with the sedative.

Robin turned to glare at Slade furiously....but now pure exhaustion was racing through his veins as he struggled to stay awake.

"Why..." he managed to ask as Slade carefully laid him down. "Why.."

Slade slowly shook his head. "Sleep. I fear....you'll find out all too soon.

Sleep...."

And the night closed over our Boy Wonder.


End file.
